Hammersmith Day Nursery & Pre-School

Inspection of Hammersmith Day Nursery & Pre-School 50 Richford Gate, 61-69 Richford Street, London W6 7HZ

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Inspection date: 31 July 2025 - 16 September 2025

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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The provision requires improvement

Children receive a warm greeting from staff who know them well. They come into nursery happily and approach familiar staff, who help them to settle. Key-person arrangements are effective. Staff share how they receive information from parents and carers about their children's likes and interests. They use this to support their key children as they settle into the nursery.

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The provision requires improvement

Children access a range of learning experiences that are planned to support their interests. The curriculum is designed to build children's knowledge and skills over time. However, during planned activities, staff do not demonstrate a consistent understanding of how to support children at different stages of their development. Most children make some progress with their learning and development, and staff observe and track children's progress. However, in all areas across the nursery, the quality of teaching and interactions between staff and children is variable.

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The provision requires improvement

Leaders have introduced new procedures to improve the organisation of mealtimes and snack times, but these are yet to be embedded in practice. Leaders do not deploy staff effectively during the preparation for daily routines. For example, the transition from play to mealtimes for older children is poorly organised. Some children receive little guidance or support and are left to wander or continue playing, which disrupts the routine. In contrast, children who understand the routine wash their hands and sit at the table but receive no recognition for completing these tasks independently.

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need to do better?

n Leaders have a realistic overview of the nursery. Although opportunities for regular feedback to staff are in place, they recognise that staff's practice has not been monitored or supported closely enough. Leaders have not ensured that staff have the knowledge and skills to implement the curriculum consistently. Nonetheless, leaders demonstrate a positive attitude to change. They are keen to put strategies in place to ensure that practice is consistent across the nursery, to improve the curriculum and to evaluate the impact of training. n Staff promptly identify children who require additional support, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They use the progress checks when children are aged between two and three years effectively to highlight gaps in children's development. Staff seek parental consent to involve relevant health professionals, such as speech and language therapists. This

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need to do better?

proactive approach enables timely intervention to meet the individual needs of children. n Overall, children behave well. They develop strong relationships with staff and show good levels of independence. Regular praise from staff helps to build

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need to do better?

31 July 2025 children's confidence and raise their self-esteem. In the areas for children aged over two years and in pre-school, children share resources and take turns with their friends, with minimal support from staff. However, staff do not consistently enforce the setting's 'golden rules'. For example, as staff sing a song at tidy-up time and put resources away, children continue to play and do not help. Additionally, when children's behaviour falls short of expectations, staff do not consistently explain why certain actions are unacceptable, leading to mixed messages about what is expected. n Older children eagerly share what they know and observe when participating in activities. Some staff respond well, following children's interests, such as when children share where they went on a recent holiday and how they travelled by aeroplane. Staff use this information to support further discussions to extend

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need to do better?

children's thinking and concentration. n In the rooms for children aged over two years and pre-school children, staff focus on developing children's independence at mealtimes by encouraging them to pour drinks and serve food. However, resources are not always well considered to support this aim. For example, staff provide water in large jugs filled to the top, making them too heavy for children to lift. Serving spoons are oversized, and dessert spoons do not fit into small yoghurt pots. These mismatched resources restrict children's ability to complete tasks independently and reduce opportunities for children to practise important self-care skills. n Children have ample opportunities to develop their physical skills. For example, outdoors, children move with ease as they run, jump and throw balls. They gain strength, coordination and confidence as they challenge themselves during planned games and activities.

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need to do better?

n The nursery forms partnerships with parents and other agencies. Staff communicate with parents. They welcome support from external agencies, such as local authority advisers. Staff involve parents in all aspects of the provision and are looking for ways to enhance this further.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

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Due date

31 July 2025 provide effective support for staff, including tailored training and supervision sessions, to improve their understanding, knowledge and skills of the curriculum, to include clear aims for all children at different stages of development when planning activities 19/09/2025

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Due date

develop procedures to evaluate the impact of training and support on practice, to support the ongoing professional development of all staff 19/09/2025

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Due date

ensure that staff have training and support to effectively and consistently implement the nursery's expectations for all children's behaviour. 19/09/2025

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should:

n provide resources that are age-appropriate and accessible so that children can successfully manage tasks by themselves during mealtimes.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 143795 Local authority Hammersmith & Fulham Inspection number 10414357 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 72 Number of children on roll 40 Name of registered person Little Garden Day Nurseries Limited

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reference number

Telephone number 020 8746 1015 Date of previous inspection 6 December 2023

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Information about this early years setting

Hammersmith Day Nursery & Pre-School registered in 1995 and is located in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It is run by Little Garden Day Nurseries Group. The nursery is open each weekday, from 7.30am to 6.30pm, for 51 weeks of the year. It provides government funded childcare. The nursery employs 14 staff to work directly with children. Of these, nine staff hold appropriate childcare qualifications.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors Bernie Dunne Christine Davies

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Inspection activities

n The inspection started on 31 July 2025. Inspectors returned on 16 September 2025 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: Deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy. n The manager and inspector completed a learning walk together of all areas of the nursery and discussed the early years curriculum. n Children told the inspector about their friends and what they like to do when they are at nursery. n The inspector observed the quality of education being provided, indoors and outdoors, and assessed the impact that this was having on children's learning. n Staff spoke to the inspector about how they support children with SEND. n The inspector observed the interactions between staff and children. n The inspector looked at relevant documentation and reviewed evidence of the suitability of staff working in the nursery.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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Inspection activities

31 July 2025 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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